Stovetop Cherry Pie Filling
6 cups fresh or frozen tart cherries for 9” pie
4 cups for 8” pie
1 to 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
4 to 5 Tb cornstarch, see below for non-cornstarch version
½ tsp almond extract, optional
1 ½ Tb butter to dot unless using a crumble top
Pie Crust Recipe.
Whisk an egg white to seal the bottom crust before adding cooled cherry filling.
Place cherries in medium saucepan and place over heat. Cover. After the cherries lose considerable juice, which may take a few minutes, remove from heat. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch together. Pour this mixture into the hot cherries and mix well. Add the almond extract, if desired, and mix. Return the mixture to the stove and cook over low heat until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let cool. I spread the filling in a shallow dish for quick cooking.
If the filling is too thick, add a little water, too thin, add a little more cornstarch.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Pie Crust Recipe.
Pour cooled cherry mixture into the crust. Dot with butter. Moisten edge of bottom crust. Place top crust on and flute the edge of the pie. Make a slit in the middle of the crust for steam to escape. Sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.
Non-Cornstarch Version
Use 5 Tb potato starch instead of cornstarch.
I then sprinkle 1 Tb NOW brand instant gelatin over 2 Tb warm water. After gelatin absorbs the water, liquify over low heat. Then add to cherry mixture just after it thickens a bit.